Chapter 9-Concept Testing
Chapter 9-Concept Testing
CHAPTER 9
Concept Testing
• What is concept testing?
- Process wherein feedback is solicited from
potential customers on top design candidates
- Customer-based counterpart of concept selection
• Why do concept testing?
- Helps decide which concept should be pursued
- “Last chance” for feedback to improve design
concept
- Gauge potential sales
- Kill product?
Concept Testing is Used for Several
Purposes
• Go/no-go decisions
• What market to be in?
• Selecting among alternative concepts
• Confirming concept selection decision
• Benchmarking
• Soliciting improvement ideas
• Forecasting demand
• Ready to launch?
Concept Testing Process
• Define the purpose of the test
• Choose a survey population
• Choose a survey format
• Communicate the concept
• Measure customer response
• Interpret the results
• Reflect on the results and the process
Concept Testing Example:
emPower Electric Scooter
Scooter Example
• Purpose of concept test:
– What market to be in?
• Sample population:
– College students who live 1-3 miles from
campus
– Factory transportation
• Survey format:
– Face-to-face interviews
Communicating the Concept
• Verbal description
• Sketch
• Photograph or rendering
• Storyboard
• Video
• Simulation
• Interactive multimedia
• Physical appearance model
• Working prototype
Verbal Description
• The product is a lightweight electric scooter that can be easily
folded and taken with you inside a building or on public
transportation.
• The scooter weighs about 25 pounds. It travels at speeds of
up to 15 miles per hour and can go about 12 miles on a single
charge.
• The scooter can be recharged in about two hours from a
standard electric outlet.
• The scooter is easy to ride and has simple controls — just an
accelerator button and a brake.
Survey Format
• PART 1, Qualification
– How far do you live from campus?
• <If not 1-3 miles, thank the customer and end interview.>
– How do you currently get to campus from home?
– How do you currently get around campus?
• PART 2, Product Description
– <Present the concept description.>
• PART 3, Purchase Intent
– If the product were priced according to your expectations,
how likely would you be to purchase the scooter within
the next year?
• PART 4, Comments
– What would you expect the price of the scooter to be?
– What concerns do you have about the product concept?
– Can you make any suggestions for improving the product
concept?
Analyze the Survey
• Determine whether one concept is obviously
superior to the others
• Determine whether components of different
concepts can be combined for a better overall
product
• Determine how many you’re likely to sell:
Q=NxAxP
P = Cdef * Fdef+ Cprob * Fprob
Cdef= 0.4, Cprob= 0.2
Interpreting the Results:
Forecasting Sales
Q=NxAxP
• Q = sales (annual)
• N = number of (annual) purchases
• A = awareness x availability (fractions)
• P = probability of purchase (surveyed)
= Cdef x Fdef + Cprob x Fprob
“top box” “second box”
Forecasting Example:
College Student Market
• N = off-campus grad students (200,000)
• A = 0.2 (realistic) to 0.8 (every bike shop)
• P = 0.4 x top-box + 0.2 x second-box
• Q=
• Price point $795
Factory Transport Market